Rep. Jason Smith's Capitol Report for Jan. 19

Jason Co-Sponsored two bills to further protect schoolchildren and our second amendment rights

Comment

By Rep. Jason Smith (R-120)

The Rolla Daily News - Rolla, MO

By Rep. Jason Smith (R-120)

Posted Jan. 20, 2013 at 2:30 PM
Updated Jan 20, 2013 at 2:34 PM

By Rep. Jason Smith (R-120)

Posted Jan. 20, 2013 at 2:30 PM
Updated Jan 20, 2013 at 2:34 PM

This week in the Missouri House I signed my name to two pieces of legislation designed to protect the rights given to us by our Constitution to keep and bear arms. The first piece of legislation, HB 70, allows teachers and administrators to carry a firearm in school if they have a concealed carry permit. The second bill, HB 170, protects Missourians from federal laws that ban or restrict gun ownership. Given the tone of the conversation we’ve seen in Washington, D.C. these days, it’s imperative we act on the state level to protect the rights of law-abiding citizens from the destructive efforts of federal bureaucrats.

The White House in particular has made proposals that seek to trample on the Second Amendment rights of all Americans under the guise of protecting citizens from gun violence. It’s a topic that provokes a lot of discussion, but also one that is long on fiery political rhetoric and short on actual, substantive solutions that would prevent tragedies like the one we saw at Sandy Hook. As the days have gone by, it has become apparent that the president wants to exploit the tragic events that took place in Connecticut to further an agenda focused on desecrating the Constitution given to us by our founding fathers to protect our freedoms.

It disturbs me to know we have government bureaucrats who view the heartbreaking events that happened in December as nothing more than an opportunity to advance their anti-gun agenda. People in Missouri and across America should have absolute confidence that the federal government will uphold and protect the United States Constitution - unfortunately that's just not the case right now.

We took a solemn oath to protect the constitution, and It’s an oath state legislators take very seriously. That’s why we are working on these proposals at the state level that would protect our Second Amendment rights from the erosive efforts of out-of-touch government bureaucrats and politicians.

By giving our teachers and school administrators the right to carry a weapon on school property, we empower our educators with the ability to defend their students from would-be disaster. While attempts from Washington, D.C. to diminish gun owners’ rights would do nothing to stop gun-related violence, the state-level solution we are proposing would put an effective deterrent in the hands of the law-abiding citizens we trust to educate our young people. It’s a proposal I believe can help to prevent tragedies like the shootings at Sandy Hook from happening again.

In order to extend gun rights to teachers, we also have to defend our Second Amendment rights from those who would take them away. It’s important we send a clear message to the federal government this year that we will not allow the rights of Missouri gun owners to be diminished. Our plan is to protect our citizens with legislation that will make any intrusive federal laws that restrict gun ownership unenforceable here in Missouri. With this we can send a clear message that our state is ready and willing to protect the rights given to us by our Constitution even if the federal government is derelict in its duties.

Page 2 of 2 - I’m proud to be part of a state legislature that has its focus on the issues that really matter to the people. As state representatives we have not lost touch with what is truly important – preserving the freedoms and liberties that have made the United States the greatest nation on Earth. This session we will stand together in the State of Missouri to tell the federal government once and for all that it will not be allowed to run roughshod over the United States Constitution. I hope you will join me in supporting these commonsense reforms that will make Missouri a better, stronger state.

As always, should you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me at my office at 573-751-1688, or e-mail me at Jason.smith@house.mo.gov.